Too Young to believe
by Harmony Malen
Summary: Mystique is back and wants a little chat with Kurt. But that's not all, a new force for the X-men. Can the teen mutants stand up to the end of the world? Chapter 10 uploaded.
1. Morning at the Institute

The sun was just rising over the hills of Bayville, light spilled over hills, roads, buildings, and parks. Slowly, it crept over a large hill and reached a large structure with an inviting garden and rather large parking lot. As the light rose, a single window was illuminated, the sun's warm glow streamed over the frosted windowpane (a result of the previous night's snow flurry) and into the silent room.  
  
Softly, and with the pace of a cautious mother coming to check on her child, the soft light spread across the floor and walls, bringing to light posters, a dresser, and several other items betraying the presence of a teen-age boy. (The large poster of a female singer was a major give-away.)  
  
Against the far wall, a bed was made visible and a large lump in the covers indicated that the room's inhabitant was currently dosing beneath the warm fabrics.  
  
The boy rustled a bit in the sheets, he rolled over and pulled the covers snugly over his head. Thus, he left a slight portion of his back uncovered. A thin, blue, rope-like cord fell to the floor. At its tip was an arrow-like end. It seemed attached to the boy's back.  
  
Suddenly, a teen-age girl walked through the door! (The closed door.) She glanced at the rope-thing and shook her head with a small laugh. Her light brown pony- tail bobbed from side to side as her head shook. She walked over to the frosted window and pulled it open. A gust of wind blew her pink, jagged hemmed shirt back behind her. A small bit of snow blew in from the window's sill and floated to the roped-like thing on the floor.  
  
Instantly, the inhabitant of the bed rocketed out of the covers. He was blue! Blue and furry, his mouth held fangs and his eyes were open wide. The rope-thing was his tail!  
  
"Aaah! My poor tail!" Cried Kurt Wagner. He turned his head and glared at the girl. "Kitty! Why'd you do that? My poor tail probably has frostbite now!" He shouted.  
  
Kitty Pryde held her hand to her mouth and tried to restrain a giggle unsuccessfully. "Sorry Kurt, but the Prof. says you have to get up, it's nearly eight 'o' clock!"  
  
Kurt folded his furry, three fingered arms across his chest. "So!" He said indignantly, "It's vacation! Why get up before noon on vacation?"  
  
Kitty glared at him, "How should I know?" She asked, "The Prof. just said to make you get up!"  
  
Kurt rolled his large eyes. He reluctantly swung his animal-like feet over the side of the bed and walked to his dresser.  
  
Instead of reaching for his clothes, Kurt simply grabbed a watch from the top and put it on. He pressed a button on the side and instantly, his clothing changed from red sweatpants and a white t-shirt, to blue jeans, a dark blue shirt, and a tan jacket.  
  
Kitty rolled her eyes. "Kurt! That is so gross! Do you ever actually change your cloths?"  
  
Kurt looked shocked. "Of course I do! I grew up in Germany, not slob- ville!" He said hotly.  
  
Indeed, Kurt had a definite accent that showed he was German. He often slipped into his previous language when he was upset, confused, or excited.  
  
"Sorry!" Kitty said. 'I didn't know it was a sore subject!"  
  
Kurt shook his head. "Never mind." He said.  
  
Kitty shrugged and grabbed his arm. She pulled him into the hall and together they headed off toward the study where Professor Xavier awaited them.  
  
********************************************************************** 


	2. Rogue's News

*Author's note: I read the reviews and it is safe to say this will be largely about Kurt and his "involvement" with Mystique. However, I will be using the point of views of the other X-men as well, particularly those of Scott, Jean and Kitty, along with Rogue due to her previous involvement with Mystique.  
  
A grumbling Kurt and an eye-rolling Kitty walked through the doorway to the study where Professor Charles Xavier awaited them. He was sitting in his customary wheelchair and across from him, on a plush couch, were his two older students, Scott Summers and Jean Grey. At the far end of the room, Even Daniels and his aunt Ororo Munro were approaching, followed by Professor Hank McCoy and a man known only as Logan.  
  
Kurt looked from side to side. "Where is Rogue?" He asked.  
  
Professor Xavier replied, "We're letting her sleep in, she had a long night." His tone was concise and full of authority as always. The Professor was known for being smooth and articulate in any situation.  
  
"Like, what happened?" Asked Kitty.  
  
Scott answered before the Professor got a chance, "She got into a fight with Lance at school, he ambushed her with the others before she got back to the institute and it shook her up pretty bad."  
  
Jean piped in. "You would be too if someone as big as the Blob nearly body slammed you. She also said they told her some pretty scary things. Things she won't tell us about."  
  
Kurt vanished in a puff of smoke and re-appeared on an armchair. "So what do you want us up so early for? What's with the meeting?" He asked.  
  
The Prof. answered in a soft voice. "She did tell us one thing that we thought you in particular should know…."  
  
Kurt looked puzzled. "What's that?"  
  
The Professor paused. "She said they talked about… Mystique."  
  
Kurt's eyes went wide but he struggled to maintain a calm face. He and Rogue had both had a few run-ins with her. It was even harder for him because of a very difficult fact. A fact that sometimes woke Kurt up at night.  
  
At that moment a girl around Jean's age walked in. Her brown hair was slightly tussled and the piece of her bangs that was died white hung limply before her eyes. She gazed at the congregation and took a deep breath. She had news for Kurt and wished to God she could tell him alone. However, this was as good a time as any and she wanted to get it off her chest as soon as possible.  
  
Rogue cleared her throat. "Umm, Professor? I have something to say."  
  
Charles Xavier nodded encouragement.  
  
"Avalanche… Lance, he told me to deliver a message from Mystique—to Kurt." She said.  
  
Kurt jumped involuntarily. A message for him? This could not be good. He sunk into the armchair and closed his eyes. Unfortunately, the blue face and shining red hair of Mystique greeted him behind his eyelids and he shot them open to get rid of it.  
  
Rogue was looking at him now, she continued: "She says she's been thinking, and she wants to talk to him." Rogue continued in her cracked southern accent. "She says she'll get in touch soon."  
  
Kurt lost control then. "Well I don't want to talk!" He shouted. "I just want her to leave me alone! I just want it all to go away!" He knew he sounded like a small child but he didn't care. He teleported out of the room before anyone could see the tears building up inside.  
  
Once outside the room he ran, nowhere in particular, he just ran. He wanted to get as far from Rogue and the others as he could. Mystique. Back. Alive. That's what should have mattered. But all he cared about was the fact that she had him in mind.  
  
Meanwhile, back in the study, the others were worried.  
  
"It won't do for him to be so worked up, he won't be able to think straight." Said Professor Xavier.  
  
"Like, don't worry Professor." Said Kitty. "I'll go talk to him, he's never had trouble talking to me." And with that, she walked through the wall and ran off to find Kurt.  
  
Logan folded his arms over his chest. "I don't like it. He can't get so worked up he forgets what's important. He didn't even care about the fact that Mystique just reappeared after bein' gone so long. We didn't even know she was alive. An' you can bet that where there's Mystique, there's Magneto." He said gruffly.  
  
"Yes but we mustn't forget the special connection between those two. We can not forget who she is to him." Said Ororo. The woman known other wise as Storm was the first Mutant Professor Xavier had taken in. She was with him when he found Logan and was one of his most trusted colleagues.  
  
Professor Xavier spoke up. "Yes, Ororo, that is true. However, we cannot yet trust Mystique… we know too little about her."  
  
Scott shrugged, his red tinted visor flashed in the sunlight. "Maybe She does just want to talk, she is part human." He said.  
  
Kurt, however, didn't want to give her a chance. At least, he thought he didn't……. 


	3. Between the Demon and the Rogue

Rogues turn now. Yes, this fic is mostly about Kurt but I love switching points of view. So lets see how it all plays out when someone besides Kitty tries to talk to the infamous Nightcrawler:  
  
It's hard living in a house full of mutants. Especially mutants like Kurt. He makes you want to scream and yet makes you want to laugh at the same time. And Scott, it's so weird always having to see him with those sunglasses on; you wonder what color his eyes are. And Jean, you never know what she's thinking but she can know what you're thinking anytime she wants. Then there's Logan, is that is first or last name? Who knows? He's always so angry, it makes you wonder what happened. But then . . . there's Rogue. How hard it must be, not being able to touch anyone, always having to distance yourself from people. What kind of a life is that?  
  
Rogue could tell you it's no picnic. She had to live each day with the threat of stealing the memories of another. Now she was in her room. Doing something she rarely did: crying. Why had this all happened? Why was she made to live with this curse? Why was this her life?  
  
Now another though presented itself, one of Kurt. He was German, he was blue, and he was a demon-thing for heavens sake! So why did she feel such a connection to him? Why did what happened to him matter so much to her?  
  
Rogues mind was always full of questions, questions and memories. Sometimes she was grateful for Kurt, because he had a way of making her forget all of her problems and just enjoy the moment. He was like a close friend . . . no, like a brother.  
  
Rogue smiled at that. Blue-boy as a brother. Wonder what family reunions would be like. She got up and walked to the library. She had an intense book report due in three days and she hadn't even found a book to do it on.  
  
"Oh why did I have to wait until vacation was almost over to work on my project?" A thick accent greeted her from the library.  
  
"Oh, hi Kurt." Said Rogue. "You okay?"  
  
Kurt turned his head and frowned. "Well, I guess it's safe as long as you aren't Kitty in a hologram." Said Kurt, "She's been hounding me all day!"  
  
Rogue suppressed a laugh. "You wouldn't be very safe with Jean either." She commended with a bright smile.  
  
Kurt teleported off of the high bookshelf he had climbed. Unfortunately, he miscalculated something and appeared three feet off the floor. He fell and landed with a loud thud!  
  
"OW!" He said. Rogue failed to hold back a laugh.  
  
"Oh you think that's funny do you?" Said Kurt with a glare. Hi stuck out his furred lip. "No one cares about the fuzzy dude!"  
  
"Aw! Come on Kurt! I didn't mean anything!" Rogue said pleadingly.  
  
Kurt grinned at her, showing his fangs. Yet, somehow, he still managed to look funny.  
  
"So," began Rogue. "How are you?"  
  
Kurt's face fell at that. "I'm okay I guess. I just wish Mystique could forget about me. I can't help thinking it's a trap or something. She just doesn't strike me as the kind of mutant who would just want to talk."  
  
Rogue shrugged. "Well, maybe she really does just wanna talk. The Prof. didn't seem worried. He did wonder why you didn't react to the fact that she was alive, just at the fact she wanted to talk to you. It was kinda weird." She stated.  
  
Kurt closed his eyes. He was more solemn than Rogue had ever seen him and it scared her.  
  
"I've tried to forget, I've tried to leave it behind." Kurt began, "But somehow it keeps coming back. The night of your dream, the meeting at the construction site, the look on her face when she left. I remember every word we said; I can still see the moment when she removed her hood. I remember it all. I especially remember how the Professor kept what he knew from me. I can't believe he doesn't trust me!  
  
"I could handle it, I could handle the truth! I could. There is no way I can keep moving on without knowing!" Kurt opened his eyes. He looked fierce and Rogue felt fear for the first time since they met. Kurt kept on.  
  
"I deserve the truth! He has no right to keep it from me! It's my life! My past! I deserve to know!"  
  
He walked to a nearby bookshelf. One swift swipe from his three-fingered hand and books were scattered all over the floor. He then crossed his arms over the now empty shelf and buried his head in them.  
  
Tears streamed from his eyes and he spoke again, softly this time. "I need to know –- if Mystique is really who she says she is. If she really is . . . . . . . . . . . . my mother."  
  
Rogue closed her eyes. Yes, it was possible. Mystique could be Kurt's mom. But then, why would she have waited until now to tell him? It didn't make sense.  
  
Kurt looked at her, his eyes full of pain. He picked up a book that had fallen to the floor. He smirked.  
  
"Frankenstein. Seems appropriate don't you think? I think I'll do my report on a brother of mine." And with that he vanished in a puff of smoke.  
  
Rogue hated how he compared himself to a monster, but she had to admit he was right. Frankenstein's monster was a misunderstood creature judged by his looks. Kurt's story was startlingly similar.  
  
But a mad scientist created the book's creature; Kurt may well have been created by a monster . . . or was he? 


	4. Mystique's Message

Let's skip a few days. Enter Kitty and Kurt at school. Where's everyone else? Cramming for a test they "forgot" to study for over vacation. (  
  
The bell rang, and students filed out into the hallway. Before long the halls were filled with noise and corruption. Kitty was struggling with her combination lock as always and barely noticed the figure coming up behind her.  
  
"Hey Kitty. What's happenin'?" Came a snide voice from behind.  
  
Kitty spun around to see Lance Alvers in his usual torn jeans and ragged t- shirt. She rolled her eyes. Lance was another mutant she didn't like to deal with. He had a major attitude as well as a major crush on her. And, being seismokinetic, able to create earthquakes at will, he was a major pain.  
  
"What do you want Lance?" She asked irritably.  
  
Lance put up his hands as if to hold off an advancing animal.  
  
"Hey for once I'm not trying to flirt with ya. I just have a message for your three fingered, fuzzy friend."  
  
Kitty's eyes narrowed. She clenched her fists and steeled her jaw.  
  
"Kurt doesn't need any message from that freak! And if you make one more crack about the way he looks--!"  
  
"It's alright Kitty." Kurt's voice cut her off, "I'm used to it."  
  
Lance smirked. "Well, this is a nice surprise. I can deliver Mystiques message direct."  
  
Kurt frowned, "Alright then, I'm listening."  
  
Kitty put a hand on his arm, feeling his fur through the hologram. "You don't have to listen to them Kurt. It's not important. Like, they're probably just making it up!"  
  
Kurt yanked his arm away, "It's important to me." He said.  
  
Lance spoke up, "She says she's gonna get in touch with you soon. Real soon." Then he walked away.  
  
Kurt looked thoughtful, his eyes were narrowed and he tilted his head to the side. He seemed too calm for the situation.  
  
Kitty waved her hand in front of his eyes. He seemed too distant.  
  
"Like, hel-lo! Earth to Kurt! Like, come back pal!" She said loudly.  
  
Kurt snapped out of it. "What? What is it?" He asked.  
  
Kitty stuck out her lower lip. "You are way to calm about this whole mess!" She cried.  
  
Kurt grinned at her. He robbed the back of his neck in discomfort.  
  
"I guess I just thought about it a lot." He said.  
  
"And?"  
  
"And," Kurt said slowly. "I want to see what she has to say."  
  
Kitty rocked back. "What?!"  
  
"I want to see what she wants to tell me. I-it could be the answers I'm looking for." Kurt explained.  
  
He hoped Kitty would understand. She had always been open-minded, but she felt pretty strongly about matters like this. She never liked Mystique. Who could blame her? Kurt just hoped Kitty wouldn't make a big deal about it.  
  
Kitty stood glaring at him. He had to be out of his mind! He was going to trust that monster to be gentle and understanding? No way!  
  
Kurt avoided further confrontation by saying he was late for algebra. He was grateful to get away from the glaring Kitty. She scared him when she got like that.  
  
Later that day, Kurt was walking out of the school to meet Scott for the ride to the institute. He was just about to call for Scott when a hand clamped over his mouth and jerked him into the shade of a tree.  
  
Kurt looked up to see the former principal, Ms. Darkolm, staring down at him.  
  
"Aah!" cried Kurt. "It's you!"  
  
He was about to teleport away but the woman grabbed him in time and they both were teleported to a nearby hill.  
  
The snow had begun to melt and the ground was soggy. The brown grass stuck up in ragged patches in a futile attempt to grow.  
  
Ms. Darkolm turned her head and closed her eyes, as if she was hurt by the sight of him.  
  
"I told you I would get in touch with you soon. Here I am." She said. And with that, she transformed to the blue-skinned Mystique.  
  
"M-Mystique! You're really here!" Cried Kurt.  
  
Mystique looked at him, her eyes full of sadness. "Kurt, there's one thing I want you to call me from now on."  
  
"W-what?"  
  
"Mother." 


	5. The Story

Kurt fell back. Oblivious to the sodden ground, he sat, fighting back tears from his eyes.  
  
"M-mother?" He asked. "It's true?"  
  
Mystique nodded, she didn't try to hold back her tears . . . she just wanted to let him know, to understand.  
  
Kurt shook his head. "I don't understand." He said thickly, "If you are really my mother, why did you wait so long to see me?"  
  
Mystique bowed her head. "I've been waiting to tell you, I have run it over and over in my mind. Yet still I find it so hard to say." She took a deep breath, "But you deserve the truth, I can't keep it from you any longer. It wouldn't be right. Charles Xavier may have thought it best to keep the truth from you, but I feel you have a right to know."  
  
Kurt nodded; at long last he would get some answers, perhaps all of them.  
  
Mystique looked at him with moist eyes. "I'll tell you everything, the whole story. Then you can choose what happens next . . ..  
  
"I spent a lifetime hiding behind a cloak, then a borrowed image when I was able to change my form. I longed for the ability to live a normal life, be an average girl whom would grow into a normal woman. When I was a bit younger than you are now, I met Eric Magnus, the man who now goes by the name of Magneto. He sheltered me from the world, told me of the evils of the human kind. But I knew better than to believe him completely. I hated them for casting me out, and at the same time I loved them for the wonderful emotions they gave me when I transformed into one of them. It was in the form of an old woman that I first learned the emotion of love.  
  
"She had been married for thirty-seven years and I felt a bit of her love for her husband. It made me long to find it for myself. So I left Magnus, and went off to find someone whom I could love."  
  
Kurt blinked. "And you found, m-my father?"  
  
Mystique nodded and continued her story.  
  
"At first, I wondered if he was out there, the man for me. But there was one day where I bumped into this man while in Germany. I was in the form of a young journalist I had met in Aspen. In fact, I had traveled the world to find a man.  
  
"Your father's name was Neil Forsht. He was a wonderful man with the sweetest smile I had ever seen. I fell in love with him on sight. We began to date and then became engaged. Before I accepted his marriage proposal, I showed him how I really looked. He only smiled and told me he could care less what I looked like, as long as I returned his love. We were married only a year when he was killed in a robbery while he was getting some money from the bank. I was five months pregnant with you.  
  
"When you were born I was horrified to find you shared my appearance. Your skin was covered in blue fur like mine, and your first teeth were fangs. I was devastated that you would have to endure the same torments I had been forced to live with."  
  
"So, I didn't look like this?" Kurt asked, pointing to his chest to indicate himself.  
  
"No, you didn't." Mystique said with a shake of her head. "You were a beautiful baby, to me, but the world would not see that. It was then that Magnus showed up. He said he had been experimenting with DNA morphing technology, and that he would make you human."  
  
Tears began to well in her eyes, her face showed anger and desperation.  
  
"But he lied!" She continued in a choked voice, "He lied and he made you worse! He altered your DNA with that of a monster! But he was the monster! I grabbed you and ran for it. But Magnus followed, and so did a pack of wild wolves. I ran for the bridge but I could go no further. I was exhausted and needed to rest. Magnus took advantage of my weariness and advanced. He knocked you from my hands and into the river below. I tried to reach you but you fell too fast.  
  
"I followed you when I could. I was hiding behind a rock when the Wagners fished you out. I watched you grow and I watched you become more and more rejected by the human race."  
  
Kurt interrupted. "But why, if you watched me, didn't you ever come for me?" He asked.  
  
Mystique closed her eyes. "Because I was afraid. Afraid you would hate me for letting this happen to you. So I watched you grow from afar. And I watched another. The daughter of my sister; the one you call Rogue."  
  
Kurt blinked in surprise. "Rogue? Is my cousin?" He cried.  
  
Mystique nodded.  
  
Kurt ventured to ask one more question. "But if Magneto did this, why did you join him?"  
  
"Because it made sense after a while. Humans had cat me out. Humans had killed my husband. Humans had put my son through such pain! I couldn't stand it! You were so kind but they fled from you as if you were a demon! So I joined him. But now . . . I doubt if I made the right choice."  
  
Kurt put his arm around his mother. "I know how you feel. But I'm happy now. And in a sense, we are humans. They're just scared of what they can't explain. And they can't explain us.'  
  
Mystique put her hand on his. "Would a human do this?" She asked, indicating his three-fingered hand.  
  
Kurt nodded. "Some of them. You cannot judge a whole race on what a few of them do."  
  
Mystique looked away. "Leave me now Kurt. I'll contact you again in a few days."  
  
Kurt nodded, and with that, he vanished in a small puff of smoke.  
  
Too sappy? Well I like it. Let me know what you think. 


	6. How Did She Know?

Kurt reappeared in the school parking lot. He re-applied his hologram and walked over to meet Scott, Jean, Kitty and Evan.  
  
"Like, where have you been?" Yelled Kitty.  
  
Kurt ignored her. "Where is Rogue?" he asked.  
  
Scott shrugged, "She said she had some stuff to do."  
  
"Wait! Wait I'm right here! Don't leave yet!" Came Rogue's voice from across the pavement.  
  
"Where were you?" Asked Evan when she reached the car.  
  
"Nowhere important." She replied and sat down in the back of Scott's car.  
  
Kurt took his own seat and fell silent. He felt a little uncomfortable with Rogue around. Knowing something like what he knew, how was he gonna tell her? What was he supposed to do?  
  
The car started up and they rolled off to the street, where they sped off to the institute. They pulled into the driveway and filed out. Mr. McCoy awaited them.  
  
"Get on up to your rooms and do your homework. Then get down to the danger room by four thirty for some drills." He instructed.  
  
They all groaned. In the distance, they saw the new recruits. They were, as always, goofing off in the grounds.  
  
Kurt teleported into his room and started on his homework. It didn't take him long, and he was finished by three fifty-seven. So he just sat on his bed and thought about Mystique and Rogue. He was so pre-occupied he forgot about the Danger Room and was completely startled when his alarm clock went off.  
  
"Aah!" He cried and vanished from his bed, re appearing in the Danger Room.  
  
Mr. McCoy chuckled. "You know Kurt, you are probably the only kid I know who can be late and yet be on time at the same time."  
  
"Yeah," Said Kurt. "Well, I'm probably the only kid you know who can do a lot of things."  
  
Mr. McCoy nodded and started up the simulation. Storm and Wolverine were already waiting in full costume. Storm, as a spy. And Wolverine as a hit man.  
  
"Now," said Mr. McCoy, "this simulation is meant to teach you how to work separately and as a team."  
  
The pupils looked confused.  
  
"What I mean is, in this exercise you must learn to use your separate skills for separate reasons, while still achieving your goal." Explained Mr. McCoy  
  
"Which is?" Asked Cyclops. (Scott.) He, like the rest, was in full uniform.  
  
"Stop Storm from reaching that computer. It holds all of the details of our security systems and a listing of the locations of all of the institute's money. If an actual break-in occurred and they got their hands on that database the institute would be in serious trouble." Mr. McCoy informed them. "Now, be off on thine journey young X-Men" (Mr. McCoy was a big fan of Shakespeare.  
  
The drill began. Nightcrawler and Shadowcat (Kurt and Kitty) headed after Storm with a few of the new recruits while the rest tried to face off with Wolverine. It seemed like Storm was nowhere to be found.  
  
"Oh, like, this is no good!" Shadowcat snapped. "I'm calling for Jean."  
  
She concentrated on sending a thought message to the telepathic member of the team.  
  
[Jean! We can't find the infiltrator! We need you to track her neural patterns so we can find her.]  
  
[I'll be right there Shadowcat! But be careful, the hit man is plowing through us. Cyclops is trying to slow him up but he's following your scent to get to you.] Came Jean's reply.  
  
"I've got to get a clear shot!" Shouted Spyke (Evan) back down at the battle. "Move it Cyclops! So I can cage this guy in!"  
  
Jean Grey flew up to the ventilation system where the other X-men were following the spy. Shadowcat's hand stuck out of one of the shafts. Jean grabbed it and was pulled into the vent with the others.  
  
"Okay, let's do this." She said. She put her middle and index fingers on her temples and began to trace Storm's psychic waves.  
  
Jean Grey guided the others to the spy and managed to stop her before she got to the computer.  
  
"Yes!" Shouted Kurt. He sapped himself to the computer and lifted it triumphantly over his head.  
  
The simulation and the computer vanished into thin air. They had won it and in ample time.  
  
"Very good." Came the voice of the professor as he wheeled into the room. "But I think you need to become more coordinated when fighting. Next time, try to fight as a team."  
  
  
  
Later that night as the X-men went off to bed, Rogue grabbed Kurt's arm just outside his door.  
  
"Hey, great work in the simulation today." She said to him.  
  
"You too." Kurt replied. "Well, good night."  
  
Rogue smiled. "Yeah, good night . . . Cuz." 


	7. One Step at a Time

One step at a time. That's it. I can do this. These words filtered through Scott's mind. He ran a hand through his chestnut brown hair. I can do this! He reached for his visor, making sure his eyes were looking straight at an empty spot on the grounds. One step at a time. His mind repeated.  
  
Scott knew that if anyone knew what he was doing he would be in major trouble, but he didn't care. He fastened his thumb and forefinger onto the frame of his visor and closed his eyes. Slowly, he pulled them off, holding them tight so he wouldn't drop them.  
  
He concentrated. Hard. He kept his mind on controlling his power. Reluctantly, he opened his eyes.  
  
YES! It worked. He could see in more colors than one! Unfortunately, it didn't last. After a few seconds it was gone. The control, the freedom was gone. Scott felt the red rays of energy building up behind his eyes and he closed them. Behind his eyelids his eyes were glowing red and heated beams of light were pushing against hem. Scott returned his visor to his face and rubbed his head with his fingertips.  
  
Scott had tried to do this a few times. Always the headaches that followed were tremendous. This time it was even worse.  
  
"Scott? Are you okay?" Came Jean's voice.  
  
Scott had fallen to his knees and was clutching his forehead in agony. He barely heard Jean's question.  
  
"Scott! What's your problem?" Jean demanded.  
  
Oh! This is ridiculous! She thought and searched Scott's mind. She broke off and put her hands on her hips.  
  
"Scott Summers! What on earth were you thinking? Trying to control your powers without anyone around to help! How stupid can you get?" She reprimanded him.  
  
By now Scott had cooled down. He saw Jean's face and cringed. She looked even more menacing in red. Of course, Scott had only seen her once in any other color, and he barely remembered it.  
  
"I was hoping no one would find out." He said softly as he got to his feet.  
  
"Well you know better than that!" Jean yelled, "Of all the stupid . . ." She went on from there.  
  
Scott wasn't paying attention. He had caught sight of Kurt on the balcony outside his room. Kurt could often be found there but something was wrong this time. Kurt was holding something. Something long and brown. Then Scott remembered it; Kurt had been wearing a hooded overcoat when they first met him to conceal his freakish appearance. Scott remembered the first time he shook Kurt's hand. The three-fingers thing kinda freaked him out but he did his best to conceal it. Scott hadn't seen that coat since the Prof. had fitted Kurt with the Holographic Projector.  
  
Jean noticed that Scott wasn't paying attention and stopped talking. She followed his gaze to the balcony where Kurt was sitting. Similar thoughts to those of Scott began to enter her mind.  
  
  
  
On the balcony Kurt was fingering the overcoat absently. 'I spent a lifetime hiding behind a cloak.' His mother's words drifted through his head.  
  
"I can relate." Kurt said to himself.  
  
He didn't notice Rogue entering his room, nor did he notice her approaching the balcony. He finally noticed her when she was standing right next to him.  
  
Kurt looked away and took a breath. After a while he spoke. "How did you know?"  
  
Rogue was silent for a while. She looked at the stars and pretended not to hear him.  
  
Kurt spoke again. "How did you know?"  
  
"I followed you. After school got out I saw someone grab you so I followed you after you vanished. I saw you land on a nearby hill so I hid behind a rock while you and Mystique talked. I figured it'd be kinda hard for you to tell me who I was so I thought I'd let you know that I knew."  
  
Kurt nodded. "You were right. I didn't know how to tell you. I guess you did me a favor by spying on me."  
  
Rogue narrowed her eyes. "You listen to me fuzzy! I wasn't spying on you I was spying on Mystique!"  
  
Kurt looked at her. He seemed distant. "Just don't follow me this time!" And with that he the coat over himself and vanished in a puff of smoke.  
  
Rogue sighed and turned to go inside. On her way to the hall she spotted a piece of paper on Kurt's dresser. She picked it up and read.  
  
Dear Mother:  
  
I've been thinking a lot about the things you said. I guess I understand where you're coming from, but I still wish you would give humans a chance. Humans are strange creatures and they don't know what to do when they get scared. And we scare them. I guess I feel differently from the way you do. I feel like I have a home at the institute. And for the first time I can goof off around other people without having to worry about scaring them out of their wits. It's not our fault that we are the way we are. But it's not their fault that they are the way they are either. I just wish you would give them the chance to prove they can be like my father. He isn't the only one who couldn't care less about how we look. I have to go now. Bye.  
  
Your son,  
  
Kurt  
  
Rogue put the letter down. A tear came to her eye. It wasn't right that he would have to go through this. Still, he was handling it well. Now, if only she could handle being his cousin. Family reunions were gonna be pretty strange from now on. 


	8. The Cliffs

The cliffs were fogged over. Good. No one would see. A figure sat on the edge, long legs dangling over the water far below. A woman, thin and tall, with a graceful pose and a haughty heir. She looked over her shoulder at the institute looming up a few miles away, barely visible for the fog. She smiled, revealing fangs, then stood. The fanged woman threw a cloak over her shoulders and ran into the forest bordering the Cliffside, looking over her shoulder once more. In seconds she was gone.  
  
  
  
Amanda looked at her watch. The bus was late again! She hated this foggy weather; it was like being trapped inside a nightmare. She wished someone she knew would come along with a car so she could get home, away from the suffocating fog. Her thoughts drifted to her new boyfriend. Well, she couldn't really call him her boyfriend but he was close enough. They had gone to that school dance together after all. Of course, she had known since before then. She'd known since before he knew who she was. Amanda thought back to when she had told him. It was still a little scary, and exciting. He was still cute, despite how he looked. And even though he looked mean and scary he was still the same sweet guy. He'd warned her, but she'd insisted.  
  
Amanda sighed.  
  
Kurt.  
  
She really cared for him. He was, after all, her boyfriend. Even if he didn't know it yet.  
  
At that moment, a cloaked figure approached the bench Amanda was sitting on. A blue hand reached out and grabbed her shoulder. Amanda screamed and a second blue hand seized her around the mouth. Before she knew what was happening Amanda was yanked backwards, into an alley shrouded in darkness.  
  
Amanda felt the hand being taken away as a deep woman's voice said, "Do not scream child, I only wish to talk."  
  
Amanda nodded with fear in her eyes. The hand was removed and Amanda squeaked out a barrage of questions. "Who are you? What do you want from me? Why did you grab me? Why are you here?"  
  
"Hush." Came the voice, "One question at a time."  
  
"Okay." Breathed Amanda, "Who are you?"  
  
"I am only a woman exiled from a life she should have had." Came the reply.  
  
Amanda's eyes narrowed in confusion. "Okay, next question: Why are your hands blue?"  
  
The voice in the shadows answered, "Because the rest of me is blue."  
  
Amanda let out a breath. "Okay, I know someone else like that. What do you want from me?"  
  
This time the voice hesitated. After a pause the woman said: "Answers."  
  
"I don't understand."  
  
"My name is Raven. You know my son, far better than I have been able to. I want to learn of him. The kind of Kurt Wagner that you know."  
  
Amanda gasped. "But, but Kurt is German. You sound American. And he told me he was adopted."  
  
Raven shook her head under the cloak. "That is because I was separated from him when he was a child. I have not been able to be his mother as he grew, and so he does not consider me as such. Now, please tell me what my son is like in average daily life."  
  
Amanda shrugged and described him as best she could. When the sound of a car approaching distracted her she turned to find that Raven was gone. All that remained was a crumpled cloak lying on the asphalt.  
  
"Amanda?" Came an all to familiar voice. "Why didn't you get on the bus?"  
  
Amanda turned to be greeted by a blue, furry Kurt Wagner. "I guess I missed it."  
  
"What were you doing in there?" Asked Scott Summers from behind the wheel.  
  
Amanda shrugged. "I thought I saw something in there. Like a stray cat or something."  
  
Kurt's milky white eyes looked disbelieving, but he shrugged it off. "Let us give you a ride home." He suggested as he pressed a button on his halo- watch. "I don't think your parents will flip if they see me like this." He said with a smile.  
  
Amanda smiled back and got into the car. "Thanks."  
  
Scott shrugged. "No problem."  
  
Amanda didn't even think to ask what they were doing driving around at night. 


	9. A New Threat, Old as Time

A/N* Okay, I know this thing is getting a bit long, but I plan to round it off in chapter ten, if not— just bare with me.  
  
"So she wanted to talk." Cyclops said as if trying to confirm it.  
  
Nightcrawler rolled his "milky white eyes" (sry, but that's how I see 'em) "For the millionth time, yes!" He cried.  
  
Jean Grey put her hands on her hips. "Scott, why do you keep repeating yourself? It is possible that Mystique can have a heart."  
  
Shadowcat shook her head. "I just don't get it. Your mom? How is this possible?"  
  
Nightcrawler smiled. "Well Kitty, I'm a bit embarrassed to have to tell you this, but when a man and a woman fall in love—"  
  
"Kurt!"  
  
Nightcrawler laughed out right. The X-men were in a scrap yard, investigating a strange mutant signal that Cerebro hadn't managed to identify properly.  
  
Wolverine sniffed. "I don't like it Charles. It ain't like nothin' I ever smelled before. It just ain't natural."  
  
Professor Xavier nodded from his wheelchair. "I know Wolverine, I'm getting very irregular readings from this place. I can't help this feeling of . . . terror. Something isn't right."  
  
Storm closed her eyes. "It is worse than that Charles. The very balances of nature are seething. A storm out of even my control seems to be just on the horizon. I fear that when it reaches us it will be far worse than any monsoon or tornado. I feel as if all that should be isn't, and all that shouldn't be is."  
  
Spyke shivered. "I don't like this auntie-O, you never get this worried."  
  
Rogue folded her arms over her chest. "If it's that bad, why don't we all just leave? I mean, why would it want to chase us?"  
  
The Professor shook his head. "It's not that simple my child. Something this terrible would have no need to chase. I believe that when it arrives it will be around every corner. There will be nowhere to run."  
  
Jean Grey closed her eyes. "You mean it'll have the whole world at its mercy?"  
  
Cyclops gritted his teeth. "Not if we stop it."  
  
Nightcrawler shuffled in the dirt. "Hey, what's that?" He asked.  
  
Shadowcat perked up. "What?"  
  
Nightcrawler held up a piece of cloak that had fallen to the ground. Wolverine snatched it up and inhaled deeply.  
  
"I know that scent."  
  
Charles wheeled closer. "What is it my friend?"  
  
Wolverine closed his fist over the fabric.  
  
"Mesmero."  
  
  
  
Mystique stood with her back to the wall of the Bayville Bank. Her face was stained with tears.  
  
"If only I had been honest with him to begin with."  
  
A deep, chilling voice rang out. "You lie to him still."  
  
"I had to." Said Mystique, oblivious to the strangeness of the voice.  
  
"You tell him the Rogue is his cousin, yet you were an only child Raven."  
  
"I know, but I couldn't put too much on him at once."  
  
"When will you tell him?"  
  
Mystique's eyes suddenly widened as she realized that she didn't know this voice.  
  
"Magneto?" She asked shakily.  
  
"No."  
  
"Who are you?"  
  
"I am the end of all."  
  
"Who?"  
  
"I am……… Apocalypse." 


	10. A Phoenix From the Ashes

His enormous bulk was beyond anything natural, an aura of evil and pain engulfed him, and his menacing stride made Mystique's blood run cold. It was as if he were truly the end. Mystique shuddered; it was a cold grip of fear that held her, rooted to the spot.  
  
"Apocalypse?" She asked in a cracked voice.  
  
The shadowed figure nodded its head. "A fitting name for the mutant who will rule this hostile and prejudiced planet. The planet inhabited by the very beings who, cast. You. Out. You…and your son."  
  
"You will rule this planet?" Mystique asked, intrigued.  
  
"Yes." Apocalypse hissed. "I will conquer this pathetic planet, and then I will destroy it." There was a vengeful and murderous triumph in his voice.  
  
The mutant removed the cape that shrouded him, and Mystique gasped.  
  
His head was the only human part of him, the rest of his body, if there was a body, was coated in a bulking blue robotic armor. His eyes were cold, and he wore a fixed frown. Mystique knew that when and if he ever smiled, the best advice was to run; far and fast.  
  
"I will need a new aid." The robotic mutant said. He held out his hand to Mystique.  
  
She gave her most sinister smile. "You've just found her."  
  
  
  
"Aaaaaah!" Came the voice of Jean from inside her room.  
  
Scott came running, followed closely by the rest of the institute. It was half past midnight, but they were all wide-awake.  
  
They rushed into the room where a terrified Rogue sat stock still on her bed. Professor Xavier wheeled over to Jean.  
  
"Jean! Jean what's the matter? Please Jean snap out of it!"  
  
But Jean was in a trance; her words were jumbled and disoriented.  
  
"Dreams…so…evil…the…nightmares…everything…gone…the…end…NO ESCAPE…HE'S HERE…HE IS THE STORM…HE IS THE END! NOWHERE TO HIDE…COMING!!!!!!!!!!!!"  
  
Jean was hysterical, her words were forced and at the height of her voice. Her eyes were alight with the flame of anger and fear, her flaming red hair flew around her in her thrashing, and her screams sounded of a fierce bird of prey dominating the sky.  
  
Ororo was at a loss for words. "She is so…she looks like…"  
  
The Professor nodded, "Yes Ororo, she resembles…a Phoenix"  
  
  
  
It was the next day, Jean was back to normal but with quite a few headaches, she liked her new name…Phoenix it was better than Jean Grey at least. Maybe life would be better from now on. But with this new threat, she knew it would never be the same.  
  
  
  
Wow! Okay, I didn't expect this fic to go this way. I apologize if I got anything mixed up but this is purely MY version. Anyways, I hope you liked it. Because it's not over. Next story to hit the site soon. I truly believe no story is complete until every uncertainty is cleared up. See you in book two! Bye! Love ya all! 


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